Hello, My name is Irene and I have been teaching kindergarten for a very, very long time at the Dr. John C. Page School in West Newbury. Kindergarten sure has evolved over the years as has my relationship with the ocean. As far back as I can remember my summer's at the beach hold such wonderful, fond memories. We would play, explore, create, swim, build, and go on adventures with wild abandonment. We would be on the beach early in the morning and we would have to be dragged off at dark. Now as a parent, although I am a bit more cautious, it is such fun to experience it all again through my children's eyes and share in their excitement for exploring the world around them. I think that is one of the reasons that I have enjoyed teaching kindergarten for so many years too. My students are eager to learn and explore the world around them with this same innocent enthusiasm that I felt as a child at the ocean. I look forward to enhancing my kindergarten curriculum through this class. See you all on Friday! April 8, 2011
Tonight I learned that I have not taken advantage of all the wonderful resources we have right here in our own backyard! I have lived in the area all my life and I have never been to the Cushing House Museum. How many other wonderful local resources have I been missing out on?
I must say that I am not a history buff, but listening to the guide tonight I was drawn in. I felt a strong sense of community and connection to this area. The museum is overflowing with so many interesting artifacts and stories. I was drawn to the ornate details in the simple things.
Here is a picture of a pin cushion that ladies would clip on the sides of tables when they were sewing. Pin cushions today do not look that beautiful.
The ocean and humans are interconnected continues to resonate with me. Today in my kindergarten class we experienced one of those wonderful "Aha" moments. I read the book Long Live Earth, by Meighan Morrison.. I really was not sure who was listening and who was tuning me out, but later when it was time to go out to recess a girl asked me if I had any bags. I thought she might need to carry some of her belongings in a bag. She told me that after hearing that book she would like to take care of our earth and she wanted to pick up the playground during recess time. She inspired my whole class and other children to pick up the playground. You would not believe all the garbage they found today. The students were bursting with pride over how much was collected and how they helped to take care of their playground. This sense of pride directly translates into the philosophy of place-based education. This was hands on learning in the real world, inspiring students to take care of the earth.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
What a picture perfect day. I really enjoyed looking at Google Maps this morning. The one thing that struck a cord with me was to look at things from a "different perspective", by looking at the same thing in a different way it sheds new light on it. The other important point that I walked away with this morning was to put a positive spin on learning. Like Kate said, "No tragedies". I could not agree more and I believe that is what kindergarten is all about, teaching the positives.
A barrier island is made up of sand and sediment that runs parallel to our coastline. It helps to protect our ever changing and evolving coastline from severe damage. There are also a variety of habitats there as we observed today. The relationship of the ocean, island and the coast is one that is evolving and changing constantly. It is strange to think that Plum Island may not even be there in 500 years. The way it was formed from the glaciers, to the granite and and garnet in the sand today is absolutely amazing. Gary pointed out an enormous boulder today that was far away from the ocean. This boulder had striations on it from a glacier. It really makes you ponder where did it came from and how did it got to that location?
Plum Island is certainly brimming with numerous eco-systems. The plover of course are the most publicized but some animals and plant life we saw today included; green crabs, periwinkles, razor clams, clams, scallops, sand dollars, horseshoe crab, shrimp, dune grass, bayberry, beach plums, and sumac trees. Skat is always a big hit with any age group. It was interesting to see the skat from coyotes, fischer cats, and of course the owl pellets are amazing.
Technology in the classroom is a powerful tool that I use to enhance the curriculum. I like to ask some open ended brain teaser questions to get students thinking, to light a fire in them so that they want to discover and find out the answers or go through the process or journey to observe and discover new things. The National Geographic website for kids is great. I like the video of the seagull trying to crack open the snail shell. Here is the link National Geographic for kids I loved the scavenger hunt and bingo game. I think by playing games with my kindergarten students it would keep them engaged, interacting with each other and learning at the same time. I would focus on the senses as we explore different habitats on Plum Island. I would also give answers and questions "Jeopardy" style to learn about the tide pools, the dunes, the animals on Plum Island.
April 10, 2011
This weekend reinforced the idea that the world is not such a big place after all. We are all connected to each other somehow. Each place we visited, from the Cushing House to the cemetery, we learned about the local community that has so many common threads interwoven to make up the rich history of this area. The names of the families and people kept surfacing from ship to shore. The farming, fishing, tourist and small industries that began in this area helped to shape it into what was and still is today.I think an interesting history project for young students would be to learn about boat building. My kindergarten class currently explores sinking and floating with a variety of materials and a culminating activity of building a boat from recycled materials. The students build their boat and then test it to see if it floats or sinks and then they have to estimate how many marbles they think their boat will hold. The historical element that I would add to this is lesson is the design of different boats through the years and how those designs influence the purpose and function of the boat.This weekend we were immersed in the rich historical culture or Newburyport with ties so deep you can not help feel a kinship to the area. I enjoyed our weekend together and have opened my eyes anew to the experiences right here in my own backyard. Thank You!
Hello,
My name is Irene and I have been teaching kindergarten for a very, very long time at the Dr. John C. Page School in West Newbury. Kindergarten sure has evolved over the years as has my relationship with the ocean. As far back as I can remember my summer's at the beach hold such wonderful, fond memories. We would play, explore, create, swim, build, and go on adventures with wild abandonment. We would be on the beach early in the morning and we would have to be dragged off at dark. Now as a parent, although I am a bit more cautious, it is such fun to experience it all again through my children's eyes and share in their excitement for exploring the world around them. I think that is one of the reasons that I have enjoyed teaching kindergarten for so many years too. My students are eager to learn and explore the world around them with this same innocent enthusiasm that I felt as a child at the ocean. I look forward to enhancing my kindergarten curriculum through this class. See you all on Friday!
April 8, 2011
Tonight I learned that I have not taken advantage of all the wonderful resources we have right here in our own backyard! I have lived in the area all my life and I have never been to the Cushing House Museum. How many other wonderful local resources have I been missing out on?
I must say that I am not a history buff, but listening to the guide tonight I was drawn in. I felt a strong sense of community and connection to this area. The museum is overflowing with so many interesting artifacts and stories. I was drawn to the ornate details in the simple things.
Here is a picture of a pin cushion that ladies would clip on the sides of tables when they were sewing. Pin cushions today do not look that beautiful.
The ocean and humans are interconnected continues to resonate with me. Today in my kindergarten class we experienced one of those wonderful "Aha" moments. I read the book Long Live Earth, by Meighan Morrison.. I really was not sure who was listening and who was tuning me out, but later when it was time to go out to recess a girl asked me if I had any bags. I thought she might need to carry some of her belongings in a bag. She told me that after hearing that book she would like to take care of our earth and she wanted to pick up the playground during recess time. She inspired my whole class and other children to pick up the playground. You would not believe all the garbage they found today. The students were bursting with pride over how much was collected and how they helped to take care of their playground. This sense of pride directly translates into the philosophy of place-based education. This was hands on learning in the real world, inspiring students to take care of the earth.
What a picture perfect day. I really enjoyed looking at Google Maps this morning. The one thing that struck a cord with me was to look at things from a "different perspective", by looking at the same thing in a different way it sheds new light on it. The other important point that I walked away with this morning was to put a positive spin on learning. Like Kate said, "No tragedies". I could not agree more and I believe that is what kindergarten is all about, teaching the positives.
A barrier island is made up of sand and sediment that runs parallel to our coastline. It helps to protect our ever changing and evolving coastline from severe damage. There are also a variety of habitats there as we observed today.
The relationship of the ocean, island and the coast is one that is evolving and changing constantly. It is strange to think that Plum Island may not even be there in 500 years. The way it was formed from the glaciers, to the granite and and garnet in the sand today is absolutely amazing. Gary pointed out an enormous boulder today that was far away from the ocean. This boulder had striations on it from a glacier. It really makes you ponder where did it came from and how did it got to that location?
Plum Island
Technology in the classroom is a powerful tool that I use to enhance the curriculum. I like to ask some open ended brain teaser questions to get students thinking, to light a fire in them so that they want to discover and find out the answers or go through the process or journey to observe and discover new things. The National Geographic website for kids is great. I like the video of the seagull trying to crack open the snail shell. Here is the link National Geographic for kids
I loved the scavenger hunt and bingo game. I think by playing games with my kindergarten students it would keep them engaged, interacting with each other and learning at the same time. I would focus on the senses as we explore different habitats on Plum Island. I would also give answers and questions "Jeopardy" style to learn about the tide pools, the dunes, the animals on Plum Island.
This weekend reinforced the idea that the world is not such a big place after all. We are all connected to each other somehow. Each place we visited, from the Cushing House to the cemetery, we learned about the local community that has so many common threads interwoven to make up the rich history of this area. The names of the families and people kept surfacing from ship to shore. The farming, fishing, tourist and small industries that began in this area helped to shape it into what was and still is today.I think an interesting history project for young students would be to learn about boat building. My kindergarten class currently explores sinking and floating with a variety of materials and a culminating activity of building a boat from recycled materials. The students build their boat and then test it to see if it floats or sinks and then they have to estimate how many marbles they think their boat will hold. The historical element that I would add to this is lesson is the design of different boats through the years and how those designs influence the purpose and function of the boat.This weekend we were immersed in the rich historical culture or Newburyport with ties so deep you can not help feel a kinship to the area. I enjoyed our weekend together and have opened my eyes anew to the experiences right here in my own backyard. Thank You!